One of the hardest parts of vacation is that it has to come to an end. That's why we take photos and pick up souvenirs to keep the experience going long after returning home. While those items are typically pieces of art, home décor, or clothing, a new Italian hotel just created the ultimate keepsake. Grand Universe Lucca, Autograph Collection will have your own "Prelude of Existence" written by a classical composer according to your unique personality traits.
Guests meet with a composer at the hotel's Symphony Lounge who has a questionnaire to determine your style—romantic, dynamic, seductive, etc.—to use as inspiration for the piece. (Side note: a Prelude is an introductory piece of music, usually an orchestral opening to an act of an opera.) After the meeting, the composer prepares the Prelude by writing the notes on a music sheet. If you'd like, the sheet can be packaged up for you with a silk ribbon and placed in a glass capsule that's put inside a Tuscan leather box.
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The idea for this unique offering came from the hotel's location. Lucca is the birthplace of renowned musicians such as Giacomo Puccini, a regular guest of the former Hotel Universo e Tosca when performing in the city. Chet Baker was a regular, too, in more recent times—he used to sit and practice on the balcony of room 15, and many people walking by would stop to listen. So, it's only natural that music is a defining part of the hotel experience.
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Beyond the Prelude offering, the hotel also has a musical-inspired cocktail list; the rooms and suites' names are melodically themed, and global events like the Lucca Summer Festival take place each year right on their Piazza. This summer's lineup is set to include performances by John Legend and Celine Dion.
"As we pave a bright path forward and travelers start exploring the world around them again, we wanted to deliver on the enriching experiences they have been craving—an experience so memorable that fulfills the desire to make up for lost time—bringing their renewed wanderlust to life in the most beautiful way possible: through music," Georges Midleje, regional managing director, told Departures. "Our gifted composers write custom melodies that resonate with each specific person or couple and will truly serve as a 'prelude' to life after their exceptional stay at the Grand Universe Lucca.
